Among different kinds of cooking oils and fats, leaf lard is definitely a traditional and flavorful choice to make a flaky and tender pie crust. With its unique aroma and slightly sweet flavor, leaf lard adds an extra layer of richness to the classic apple pie. Here, we will present a comprehensive guide to help you create the best apple pie using leaf lard crust, allowing you to indulge in a delightful combination of sweet and savory flavors.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
LEAF LARD CRUST
Provided by Amy Thielen
Categories dessert
Time 1h45m
Yield two 9- or 10-inch pie crusts, enough for one double-crust pie
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard and the butter, and cut them in with a pastry blender until the larger pieces are the size of peas and the mixture begins to clump on the pastry blender. Shuffle through the mixture with your hands, pinching chunks of lard to flatten them.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the ice water and mix with a fork. Pinch a clump of dough in your hands: If it feels moist and clumps together easily, it's probably hydrated enough. If it feels really crumbly, add another tablespoon or two of ice water until you can form a baseball-size clump of dough, packing it on as if you were making a snowball. You want to mix the dough as little as possible to ensure it stays tender.
- Divide the dough in half and form each half into a flat disk. Wrap both disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Thirty minutes before you're ready to roll out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature to soften.
LARD PIE CRUST
This delicate, puffy crust uses a combination of lard and butter for the richest flavor and the largest flakes. You can substitute more lard for the butter, but you will lose some of the complexity. Make sure to seek out rendered leaf lard from a good butcher or specialty market, or try your local farmers' market. It's the purest and best quality pig fat to use in a crust. Avoid processed lard from the supermarket at all costs; it's been hydrogenated to increase shelf life and can sometimes have an off or mildly rancid flavor, not to mention the dangers of hydrogenated fat to your arterial health. You can freeze this crust for up to 3 months. Defrost for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories pies and tarts, dessert
Time 4h15m
Yield 1 (9-inch) single pie crust
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add the butter and lard and pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Or, if making by hand, stir together the flour and salt. Use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut the butter and lard into the flour mixture until you get slightly smaller pieces, the size of green peas.
- Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix until the mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form the crust into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before rolling out and baking.
MOM'S LARD PIE CRUST
Mom always knew the best pie crusts are made with lard. The results of this recipe is one of the flakiest crusts I have ever had. It is so easy too!-Virginia Jung, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 15m
Yield 1-10-inch crust.
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in water, a tablespoon at a time, until pastry holds together. Shape into a ball; chill for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Transfer to a 10-in. pie plate. Flute edges; fill and bake as pie recipe directs.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 201 calories, Fat 13g fat (5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 12mg cholesterol, Sodium 19mg sodium, Carbohydrate 18g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
RENDERED LEAF LARD
Blue Hill at Stone Barns conducted a search for the perfect pie. Baker Gabrielle Langholtz's award-winning Honey Pie uses this recipe for Leaf Lard to make the crust.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Yield Makes enough for about 6 double-crust pies or 12 single crust pies
Number Of Ingredients 1
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place lard in a Dutch oven and bake until fat melts and the cracklings float to the surface, stirring every 45 minutes (this may take up to 4 hours). Remove from oven and strain into a heatproof glass measuring cup; discard solids. Pour rendered lard into small ice-cube trays about halfway full and freeze.
COMMON APPLE PIE
Steps:
- To make the pie:
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- Prepare the pastry. Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the pastry and set aside in the refrigerator, along with the unrolled half, while you make the filling. Taste a few slices of the apples to gauge how much sugar you'll need to make them sweet. In a large bowl, mix the apple slices in the lemon juice. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste, then add the mace and nutmeg. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pastry shell. Mound toward the center and dot with butter. Roll out the remaining pastry and carefully lay it over the apples. Seal the edges, cut vent holes, and decorate with extra pieces of dough cut into decorative shapes. Brush the egg wash over the surface of the pastry. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet (to catch any spill over) and cook in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350° F. and continue to cook for about another hour, until the top crust is a beautiful golden brown. If the edges start to darken too much, cover with a ribbon of aluminum foil.
- To make the butter and lard crust:
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the top off, sprinkle the butter and lard over the ingredients. Re-cover and pulse a few times until small clumps form. Begin to add the iced water through the feed tube, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing quickly until the dough begins to form into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. As you wrap the dough in the plastic, form it into a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 2 pieces, one slightly bigger than the other. Wrap the smaller piece in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator. Roll out the bigger piece on a lightly floured surface until it's slightly larger than the pie pan. Drape one end of the dough over the pin and gently lift it up, then slip the pan underneath the dough and lower it into the pan. Press the dough gently - and quickly - against the sides of the pan. Leave about an inch of dough hanging over the sides of the pan and cut any excess away. Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes before either filling or prebaking.
- If you are making a pie with a top crust, after you have filled the pie, take the smaller disk from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's a little bigger than the pie. Drape one end of the dough over the rolling pin, lift it gently, then drape it over the top of the filling. Press the edges together and crimp to seal. Slash a few vents across the top of the crust to allow steam to escape and bake the pie according to the directions in the recipe you are using. (If you are not making a pie with a top crust, either freeze the second dough disk or make an extra bottom crust.) Makes a double 9-inch crust
CLASSIC LARD TWO-CRUST PIE PASTRY
The way a pie crust should be made.
Provided by SandraJ
Categories Desserts Pies 100+ Pie Crust Recipes Pastry Crusts
Time 1h15m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending gently with a fork or pastry blender until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough in half and shape flattened rounds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 267.8 calories, Carbohydrate 23.8 g, Cholesterol 16.2 mg, Fat 17.4 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 3.2 g, SaturatedFat 6.7 g, Sodium 291.6 mg, Sugar 0.1 g
SHINGLED-LEAF BRANDY APPLE PIE
The layered finish that tops this apple pie from our Pies & Tarts book is created by shingling the leaves. Pastry cutouts in any shape can be arranged in this manner; here, a flurry of leaves accentuates the pie's autumnal nature.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes
Yield Makes one 9-inch pie
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim excess dough flush with rim. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Roll out remaining 2 disks of dough about D inch thick. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Using a 2 1/4-inch leaf-shaped cutter, cut out about 65 leaves, and place them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss apples with flour, brandy, vanilla, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Fill pie shell with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
- Score leaves with a paring knife to make veins. Lightly brush edge of pie shell with water. Lightly brush the back of each leaf with water; beginning with the outside edge, arrange leaves in a slightly overlapping ring. Repeat to form another ring slightly overlapping the first. Continue until only a small circle of filling is left uncovered in the center.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream. Carefully brush top of leaves and pie edge with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake until crust just begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 85 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely.
PRIZEWINNING APPLE PIE WITH SOUR CREAM CRUST
Make and share this Prizewinning Apple Pie With Sour Cream Crust recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Chef mariajane
Categories Pie
Time 1h25m
Yield 1 pie, 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- For The Crust:.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour with salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter and lard until in fine crumbs with a few larger pieces.
- In a liquid measure, whisk water with sour cream, drizzle over flour mixture, tossing briskly with a fork and adding a little more water, if necessary, until ragged dough forms.
- Divide in half; press into 2 discs. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes.(Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight container for up to 1 month) . Makes enough for 1 double crust pie.
- For the Filling:
- Peel and core apples; cut into 1/4 inch slices to make 8-cups. Place in a large bowl. In a small bowl toss together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to apples and toss until coated.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry to generous 1/8 inch thickness; fit into pie plate. Trim to rim of pie plate. Scrape in filling; dot with butter.
- Roll out remaining pastry. Whisk egg yolk with 1 tablespoons water; brush some of this egg wash over pastry on rim .
- Fit pastry over filling; trim to leave 3/4 inch overhang. Fold upper layer of pastry under pastry on rim; flute to seal. Brush some of the remaining egg wash lightly over pastry. Cut steam vents in top; sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake in bottom third of 450F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F ; bake until bottom is deep golden, apples are tender and filling is bubbly and thickened, about 65 minutes. Let cool on rack.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 565.7, Fat 29.3, SaturatedFat 15, Cholesterol 75.9, Sodium 127.4, Carbohydrate 73.1, Fiber 4.5, Sugar 36.4, Protein 5
Tips:
- Use a good quality leaf lard. Leaf lard is the fat from around the kidneys of a pig. It is a very flavorful and tender fat that is perfect for pie crust.
- Make sure the leaf lard is cold before using it. This will help to keep the crust flaky.
- Work the leaf lard into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Do not overwork the dough, or the crust will be tough.
- Add just enough ice water to hold the dough together. The dough should be moist, but not sticky.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This will help to prevent the dough from shrinking in the oven.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Do not overwork the dough, or it will be tough.
- Trim the dough to fit your pie plate. Fold the edges under and crimp to seal.
- Bake the pie according to the recipe instructions.
Conclusion:
Apple pie is a classic American dessert that is perfect for any occasion. This recipe for apple pie with leaf lard crust is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. The leaf lard crust is flaky and tender, and the apple filling is sweet and tart. Follow these tips to make the best apple pie you've ever tasted.
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